Looby House Bombing (1960)

Tue Apr 19, 1960

Image: Civil rights leader Z. Alexander Looby’s house after being bombed in April 1960 [nashvillescene.com]

On this day in 1960, the home of famous Nashville politician and civil rights attorney Z. Alexander Looby was bombed by white supremacists, leading to 3,000 people marching on City Hall.

Looby had achieved national notoriety for his defense of twenty-five black men charged with murder as part of the 1946 Columbia Race Riots, as well as his support of the students participating in the Nashville Sit-ins of 1960.

On April 19th, 1960, a bundle of dynamite was lobbed towards the front of his home, rolling onto its concrete foundation before detonating. The blast destroyed the front of the house, however Looby survived the assassination attempt.

The bombing was the catalyst for a march held later that day, in which approximately 3,000 people marched to City Hall in total silence.

Once the crowd converged on City Hall, they were met on the steps of the plaza by Mayor Ben West, who admitted to the demonstrators that he supported desegregating the lunch counters. By May of that year, lunch counters in Nashville were desegregated.

• Date: 1960-04-19
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.nashvillescene.com, www.atlasobscura.com.
• Tags: #CivilRights, #Assassinations, #Terrorism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org